After a miscarriage, a woman can expect to start menstruating within four to six weeks, but some women may start as early as two weeks. The bleeding during a miscarriage is not a period, and heavy bleeding after it may indicate tissue left in the uterus. A follow-up visit with a doctor is recommended, and emotional distress is common.
A woman’s menstrual cycles usually return to normal shortly after a miscarriage. In general, a woman can expect to start menstruating within four to six weeks of miscarriage. This is not the case for all women, however, and some women start menstruating much earlier. For example, some women may have periods as early as two weeks after having a miscarriage. The first period after a miscarriage is usually a normal period, although some women find that this first period is a little lighter or heavier than usual.
The bleeding that a woman experiences during a miscarriage is not a period. Instead, a woman is bleeding because her body is emptying the contents of her uterus and shedding the lining that was meant to nourish the developing baby. This bleeding may be heavy for a while and then subside to spotting. Some women experience heavy bleeding again after the initial bleeding from the miscarriage has completely stopped. In some cases, this may mean that tissue has been left in the woman’s uterus. To rule this out, a woman suffering from this should usually contact a doctor for advice.
Some doctors recommend that a woman look at the number of days since her miscarriage to determine if she is menstruating again or experiencing a complication of the miscarriage. In general, bright red vaginal bleeding that occurs after a miscarriage seems to stop, but before 20 days after a miscarriage, it can be a cause for concern. Bleeding that occurs at least 20 days after a miscarriage may be a woman’s first period after the miscarriage. To be sure that the body is returning to normal and to ensure that undetected pregnancy tissue has not been left behind in the uterus, a woman would do well to seek a follow-up visit with her doctor within a few weeks of the miscarriage.
When a woman has a miscarriage, she will likely face emotional turmoil in addition to the changes her body goes through as a result of a pregnancy loss. The emotional distress typical of abortion can be present whether a pregnancy was planned or unplanned. If a pregnancy was unplanned and a woman is not ready to have children, she may look forward to her first period as a sign that her body is returning to normal. If a woman hopes to conceive a child, however, she may look forward to her period again, as it represents an opportunity for her to try to conceive again. Unfortunately, a woman cannot be sure how quickly she will return to normal menstruation after a miscarriage, and some women’s bodies take longer than others.
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